I don't really care how much the latest superhero film took at the box office, although I'd probably know if you asked me. When I watch a film the main thing I am looking for is a good story. I like it when I look up at the big screen and can see a part of me staring back at me. More than anything, I am still looking for Jimmy Stewart and Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder in every film I see.

Monday, 17 January 2011

BLOGGING

I don't think I've ever blogged about blogging. I don't think I've ever been consciously aware of the fact that I write a blog. That sounds a bit dumb, I know. I've been here for two years and of course I'm aware of my blogging. I just mean; it's been separate. I always judge my creativity based on the screenplays I'm writing and the films I'm directing and the work I am doing. And then, outside of that, I write blogs.

But who am I kidding? I write twenty five articles a month here. I could have published three books by now (I'm not saying anyone would read them-- but quantity-wise, I've written the words.) Where does it all come from? Is the creativity of my screenwriting linked to the productivity of my blogging? If I blog more, do I write less? How would I know? I often think of my film career as a chance to leave a legacy --- but is a blog the same thing? Of course, my inner-critic says "it's just a blog, nobody cares about blogs." But you guys are here, and you keep showing up. That means something. The fact we write our blogs and we read other people's blogs, that stands for something. But what is it? What is Kid In The Front Row? What are we doing here?

I'm not meaning to overanalyse, and I don't mean to ramble narcissistically -- but I was just hit by the insight that, wow, this blog exists, it's here. I've been here for nearly two years and I keep writing articles and keep interviewing people and keep talking about 'The West Wing' and 'Adventureland.'

I think blogs are great because they fill a gap. I can moan to myself that the world doesn't like the films I like or doesn't view them in the same way, and that's probably what I used to do. But now, I can just write about things here as if it's what everyone cares about. And then, crazily, people often do. Sometimes people write the exact same things as me.

'Kid In The Front Row' - what is that? What does it stand for? Why do I write? The people who read this and the people who write similarly personal blogs (I'm talking film blogs but it could be other topics..) - I think we write because we don't see a place for us in the newspapers, or in the latest fashions, or a Michael Bay movie. "Pearl Harbor" and "Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen" don't speak to me, they don't resonate with me and my life. I guess that's what it's about---- having a place to share what resonates, and finding people who feel the same. And when they don't agree, it's because different things resonate for them. But we're still here, together, because this world dulls things that resonate. We're meant to be turned on by the same commercials, and coke cans, and skin products; and we're meant to spend 3.95 on a coffee in Starbucks because that's what the whole world does.

A good blog is a cup of coffee that costs 0.75, because that's all it should cost--- and instead of being Starbuckized like everyone else, we're finding the little, personal cafes that feel like home. That's the movies we're after, that's the artists we want to be, and that's why we blog.

Awesome post! Blogs truly do fill a gap in society, in humans and you articulate that perfectly. Those that right blogs are not trying to be famous, rather they are everyday folks showing their view of the world. They really are special things. I, for one, have been writing for a bit, and I enjoy those that comment; but deep down the blog is for me and to show one other opinion of what is out there.

Blogs, galleries , and things like that are important. Instead of writing on a secret diary, you can talk and learn with people from all over the world; and it's good for everyone.Especially in a world where everything and everyone seem so distant.And I found Once some weeks after I read your post and decided to watch; it's fantastic. I almost cried in the biggest part of the film. Perfects songs. Good suggestion.

"Starbuckized" indeed. I love how you put that across. This online world of opinions and stories we've created for ourselves is a space for us to talk uninterrupted and unhindered and uninhibited so people will know what we actually want to say, not what they think we are trying to say. Your blog is one such space... I love stopping by here to read the passion with which you articulate your love for movies and Adventureland :)

Valid points... for me though, this is my place. for me. a place to see/read other talented, witty and worldly people. As for my 'blog'... ah, I don't really see it as a blog either, moreso a place I can put words floating around my head at...

Sometimes, I give myself grief that I should not be on-line, but reading a book... and then it hits me, I'm still reading, I'm still learning, and I'm still writing-- and THAT is what matters...the added bounce, communicating!

Love it. You nailed it so nicely. Those who want substance - in movies, conversations, music, friendships, hell, even their blogs, don't always have a place to go - but your blog is an oasis in a Starbuckized wasteland. :)